Windham Solid Waste Management District (WSWMD)
Brattleboro, Vermont
Board of Supervisors Meeting
Via Zoom and In-person
Draft Minutes of December 12, 2024
Members Present: (In-person & Zoom)
Chair: Michelle Cherrier, Dummerston; Dan Towler, Brookline; Daniel Ballioti, Dover; Lewis Sumner, Halifax; Stephan Chait, Halifax (alternate); Kate Ullman, Jamaica; Ellen Dudley, Marlboro; Doris Knechtel, Newfane; Dan Toomey, Putney; Jim Damato, Readsboro (alternate); Irvin Stowell, Townshend; Sandra Rulewich, Vernon; Liz Spector, Wardsboro; Lou Bordeaux, Westminster; Merrill Mundell, Wilmington
Members Absent: Patrick Moreland, Brattleboro; Hannah Tustin, Guilford; Rickey Harrington, Somerset; Kent Young, Stratton
WSWMD Staff Present: Robert Spencer, Executive Director; Vicki Hayes, Finance Manager & HR Administrator, Peter Gaskill, Programs Coordinator; Anita Grant, Office Manager & Operations Liaison/District Clerk
Other Guests: None
As a quorum was present, Michelle called the meeting to order at 6:02 PM
- Roll Call of Members: Anita performed a roll call of members present.
- Changes or Additions to the Agenda: None
- Approval of Minutes- September 2024:
Dan Towler pointed out that he was omitted from the November minutes, Anita will amend the minutes.
Jim made the motion to accept the amended minutes from November 2024, seconded by Irv, and the motion was carried with three abstentions.
- Approval of Check Registers- September 2024:
Liz asked about the P.I.L.O.T check. (PILOT= Payment In Lieu Of Taxes). Bob explained that the District had negotiated a certain percentage of Brattleboro’s assessment was paid to the town of Brattleboro quarterly instead of paying property taxes.
Jim made the motion to approve the Check Register for November 2024, seconded by Lewis, and the motion was carried unanimously.
- Approval of Financial Statement- November 2024:
Vicki reported happily that November ended with a $9,000 surplus, and revenues are 6.72% above budget at $102,000 for the month. Some revenue highlights were sales of recycled materials at $4,300, access stickers at $4,700, day passes at $1,200, and compost sales of $9,300. On the expense side, first time the outside hauling is zero dollars, $2,000 spent on Sterling maintenance, and an additional $22,000 in unexpected expenses for compost tailing disposal. Overall, expenses were 5% above budget, but only 1% over without the compost tailings. Merrill asked about CFE expenditures and Vicki reported that over $500,000 had already been spent on the project.
Lewis made the motion to approve the Financial Statement for November 2024, seconded by Doris, and the motion was carried unanimously.
- Consider Results of the Public Hearing for the FY 26 Budget & Assessments:
Since no members of the public attended the hearing, there were no results to report.
- Ratify the FY 26 Budget:
Merrill made the motion to ratify the FY 26 Budget & Capital Plan with Revenues of $1,419,058, Expenses of $1,607,943, and Assessments totaling $275,526, as presented and approved by the WSWMD Board of Supervisors on November 14, 2024, following the results of the Public Hearing. Liz seconded and the motion was approved unanimously.
- Compost Facility Expansion Named “Vital Project for Southern Vermont”
Bob had applied through the Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation in September 2024, to have the Compost Facility Expansion (CFE) be considered for a Vital Project in Southern Vermont. Of the 83 projects considered for the acknowledgment, only 12 were selected in the community, including the CFE. The Brattleboro Reformer had just released an article highlighting the selected projects, which was shared with the BOS before the meeting. Bob thanked the board for their support in developing the infrastructure with WSWMD for the CFE.
- Programs Coordinator’s Report:
- Peter reported that he is working on a plan to generate revenue for the District by sending batteries to Call2Recycle in bulk drums instead of individual boxes. The program will pay $0.25 per pound, and the fireproof drums are scheduled to be shipped in January. Once the drums arrive on-site, procedures for separating and storing the batteries will be developed.
- He provided an update on the waste oil program following a meeting with a company that manages both clean and contaminated waste oil. He plans to conduct further research to assess whether using larger containers, specifically 270-gallon IBC totes, would be more cost-effective than disposing of the oil in 55-gallon drums.
- Peter informed the board that he had been appointed as the Safety Coordinator. He plans to hold monthly meetings with the staff to ensure that training on various safety topics stays up to date. Last week, he conducted a safety meeting that focused on batteries. He noted that it was more of a discussion aimed at implementing the new battery collection initiative scheduled for January.
- Executive Director’s Report:
- MERP Grant (Municipal Energy Resilience Program): Bob reported that WSWMD was not awarded a MERP Grant, and that three District towns had been awarded grants. He also reiterated that the HVAC issues were going to be addressed regardless of the MERP denial, as there are funds in the facilities plan that could cover some HVAC improvements. Anita reported that the HVAC system was to be evaluated by three separate contractors that are approved by Efficiency VT.
- Bob reported that he has promoted Skip Bonnett (current scale operator) to be the new working Yard Foreman, and he has been active in the position for two weeks.
- USDA Compost Drop-off Hub: Bob and Alex Bob and Alex attended the Putney Selectboard meeting to discuss a pilot program for a food scrap drop-off site in Putney. This initiative will allow residents and businesses to drop off their food scraps in a central location that will be trucked by WSWMD by a hauler (TBD). The pilot is funded by a USDA grant awarded to WSWMD in 2023. While the grant will support the pilot program for six months, it will not cover hauling or infrastructure costs afterward. Dan Toomey reported that he attended the meeting, and the proposal was well-received, and townspeople are enthusiastic about seeing it implemented.
- Bob has been assisting Townshend in their attempts to either fund new equipment and expand on their current transfer station or find alternatives to their solid waste needs.
- Bob discussed the new sign that Alex created for the Jamaica Transfer Station, Kate responded that the sign was beautiful and was on-site but had not yet been installed.
- Dan Ballioti from Dover reported to Bob that they are contemplating acquiring their own equipment to collect their food scraps and deliver them to WSWMD since their current disposal charges are so high. Bob also commented that he and Peter could assist if need be.
- EPA Grant: Bob again reminded the board that he is in the process of applying for the EPA SWIFR grant that was denied two years ago. This grant would cover the costs of phase two of the CFE which would include some mixing equipment and gravel on the site. The grant application is due at the end of December.
- Bob was interviewed by a reporter from the Wall Street Journal in London, who was eager to learn more about composting pet waste, as WSWMD accepts both cat and dog waste in its composting program. During the discussion, they talked about compostable bags, and Bob explained that the screening equipment used in the process would effectively filter out any non-compostable bags.
- Next Meeting: Thursday, January 9, 2025, @ 6 PM
- Adjournment: Jim motioned to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Irv, and the meeting adjourned at 6:50 PM.
Minutes prepared by,
Anita Grant
Office Manager & Operations Liaison/District Clerk